Modern inventory systems, such as those in mail-order warehouses, supply chain distribution centers, airport luggage systems, and custom-order manufacturing facilities, face significant challenges in responding to requests for inventory items. As inventory systems grow, the challenges of simultaneously completing a large number of packing, storing, and other inventory-related tasks become non-trivial. For instance, in product distribution centers (e.g., fulfillment centers), vast quantities of products are processed for shipment to consumers traditionally using manual labor and/or mechanical handling equipment (e.g., conveyor systems, forklifts, etc.).
Inventory systems that are tasked with responding to large numbers of diverse inventory requests typically exhibit inefficient utilization of system resources, including space, equipment, and manpower. This can, in turn, result in lower throughput, unacceptably long response times, an ever-increasing backlog of unfinished tasks, and generally poor system performance. Additionally, expanding or reducing the size or capabilities of many inventory systems requires significant changes to existing infrastructure and equipment. As a result, the cost of incremental changes to capacity or functionality may be prohibitively expensive, thereby limiting the ability of the system to accommodate fluctuations in system throughput.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved techniques for handling products in a distribution center that reduce the potential for damaged products and increases efficiency in delivering products to a consumer, while minimizing operating costs.